August 15th is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day and have we got a vegan treat for you

Ooh, lemon meringue pie. Make this on the weekend and surprise your beloveds on Monday, National Lemon Meringue Pie Day with the gorgeous vegan treat.

This recipe is yet another awesome sweet treat.

It comes from the recipe vault of the great vegan cookery website called NamelyMarley.com.

We are going to make the luscious pie you see in the featured image above (photo belongs to the same lady).

There are only a couple of ingredients most of us do not have in our pantries. One is optional. The other you can probably get away with not using. Marley tells you how. However, you can find them at any health food store and Whole Foods.

If there is anything more refreshing on a hot summer day I don’t know what it is. Oh, how about those mini vegan key lime pies. Never mind!

Let’s Go.

VEGAN LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Ingredients
1 foolproof vegan pie crust *
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1½ cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested
½ teaspoon lemon extract
Optional: 1 tablespoon Agar Agar**
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 cup extra firm silken tofu (or one small package)
1 recipe Vegan Meringue

* If you are constrained by time (or in my case talent) to make your own pie crust, Whole Foods have really nice and tasty frozen vegan pie crusts. The last time I shopped for them they were $4.99 for two.
** Learn more about Agar Agar here. Agar Agar is a sea vegetable. Our local Whole Foods have it and so does the local Walmart. I recommend you use it. It gives a lovely rich body to the lemon base of your pie.

Instructions
Heat your oven to 350F.

Prepare the pie crust as directed in the link above and roll it out to about 1/8″ thickness and place in a 9″ pie pan. Crimp the edges of the pie and use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust several times. Bake the crust 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a saucepan combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine.

Turn the heat to medium-high and add the water, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, and agar agar (if using). Stir occasionally, to make sure the custard doesn’t burn. Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until you have a thick mixture in the pan. Remove from heat and add the tablespoon of vegan butter. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Place the tofu in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the lemon mixture from the saucepan and pulse it all together until a smooth consistency is reached.

Prepare the meringue according to the link above.

Spoon the lemon custard into your prepared pie crust. Top with meringue, ensuring that you create a seal with the crust and create wispy dollops of meringue across the top of the pie (these wispy parts will brown more quickly and create a beautiful, artistic look to your meringue).

Place in your heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the meringue just begins to brown. Turn your heat to 375 and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the meringue has golden edges.

Remove from the oven and cool for about an hour. Refrigerate for one to two hours before serving.

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• Learn more about sea veggies here »